1. Field of the Invention
Aspects of the present disclosure are directed to dishwashing appliances and, more particularly, to a filtration system for a dishwashing appliance, and an associated apparatus and method.
2. Description of Related Art
The effectiveness of a dishwasher may often be directly related to conditions associated with the washing fluid used thereby. Generally, a dishwasher implements a gravity-fed sump assembly for receiving washing fluid from a house source, from which the washing fluid is circulated by a circulation pump through various spray arms or other fluid-distribution provisions of the dishwasher for removing soils from the dishware disposed therein. After removing the soils and other debris from the dishware, the washing fluid is typically directed through a series of straining/filtering mechanisms associated with the sump assembly prior to being re-circulated through the hydraulic system of the dishwasher.
In some instances, one such straining/filtering mechanism associated with the sump assembly incorporates a drain chamber which acts as a buffer volume for soils-laden washing fluid prior to such washing fluid being pumped out of the dishwasher during a drain cycle performed by the dishwasher. In some instances, the drain chamber may be a so-called “still chamber” where the collected soils are allowed to settle out in the drain chamber. In such instances, the “still chamber” configuration avoids such soils being broken down by washing fluid turbulence/motion and subsequently dispersing back into the circulated washing fluid.
However, in some instances, the dishwasher may also implement a macerator chamber housing a rotating macerator device to chop and break down food soils, though such a macerator chamber may be disposed opposite the drain chamber from the house drain (i.e. the macerator chamber may be fluidly disposed prior to the drain chamber from the house drain). As such, in those instances, the spinning macerator blade and its supporting shaft may create turbulence in the soils-laden washing fluid within the macerator chamber, and this turbulence may, in turn, affect food soils in the drain chamber. As a result, the turbulence may cause the food soils to be driven into the drain chamber and/or expelled from the drain chamber through fluid pathways. To the extent that the food soils are undesirably expelled from the drain chamber and/or macerator chamber, such food soils may undesirably be driven back into the clean, re-circulating washing fluid and eventually onto the dishware disposed within the dishwasher.
Thus, there exists a need for a filtration system and method for permitting a flow (or overflow) of the soils-laden washing fluid with respect to the drain chamber of a dishwasher, the soils-laden washing fluid being received from the macerator chamber of the dishwasher, so as to contain the food soils and contaminants within the drain chamber while facilitating the necessary washing fluid level in the washing fluid circulation system, without re-introducing such food soils/contaminants back into the washing fluid circulation system, and prior to the soils being pumped out of the drain chamber, and out of the dishwasher, during the drain cycle.